"Dead Sailor"

"Dead Sailor," the first single from Bloomington, Ind. fraternal duo Stagnant Pools' Polyvinyl debut Temporary Room, captures the spirit of forgotten indie rockers like Calla and Snowden that lorded over the first half of the last decade-- a tar-thick mix of Joy Division moroseness, Sonic Youth squall, and urbanite emotional torpor that projects a New York City vibe regardless from where it actually emanates. The band sounds ready to escape something here, as a bucking rhythm and Strokes-like melody peeks through a hovering coal-dust cloud of distorted guitar sustain and reverb. "You think I’m a failure/ I’m your dead sailor," Bryan Enas moans on the hook, an appropriately strange communication of the all-encompassing dread that can sometimes befall young people with seemingly everything to look forward to.